


She's Her Star Patient

by WildnessBecomesYou



Category: Ratched (TV)
Genre: (in that it's going away), Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Mentions of Cancer, That's it, just happy babies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:34:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26703787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildnessBecomesYou/pseuds/WildnessBecomesYou
Summary: Gwendolyn comes back from a doctor's appointment with a new x-ray.
Relationships: Gwendolyn Briggs/Mildred Ratched
Comments: 23
Kudos: 127





	She's Her Star Patient

**Author's Note:**

> This was just an excuse to write fluff. It's just fluff. That's it. Set probably just before Betsy arrives.

Mexico isn’t too bad, Mildred decides as she finishes reading the same sentence in this morning’s paper for the third time. It’s hot, and ridiculously bright in the afternoon like this, but it’s safe as she can be and it’s rather beautiful in all this sunlight. 

She closes the paper and fans herself with it, leaning back in the right-hand chair out in the back of her apartment with Gwendolyn. She’d been grateful that Gwen had left the paper out for her when she’d left, letting her look for any news herself. 

Mildred hadn’t woken up early enough that morning to see Gwen off, which she kicked herself a little for. She has a hazy memory of Gwen’s lips on her forehead, her voice soft and almost raspy around the corners. “I’ll be back in a few hours,” she’d said. “Don’t forget to eat something. I love you. Sleep well, darling.” Gwen’s fingers had lingered on her arm for an extra moment, and Mildred wishes she’d seen her eyes. She would have liked to see the look in them. 

Now, Mildred runs her fingers over the same spot on her forearm where Gwendolyn had touched her. She smiles. How had she gotten this lucky? 

The breeze picks up slightly, bringing the smells of morning glory and dahlias and that little white flower that starts with an f and sounds more Italian than Spanish to Mildred’s nose. She looks over to them— frangipani, she remembers— and smiles at their spot above the little wall guarding the back patio. Mildred is grateful for their guard and disguise; she can kiss her love out here without fear, even if there is a neighbor staying there that week. 

She runs her thumb over the newspaper again. No news, not that she’d seen, but she’d been distracted anyways. Perhaps it was time to give it another try. 

The door to the apartment opens and a voice calls her name. “I’m back, are you awake?”

Mildred is up and swinging around the corner back into the apartment before she can think about it. She tries to play it off, lean against the doorframe casually. Her arms wrap around her torso and she smiles shyly, eyes fixed at the ground before she looks up at Gwendolyn. 

Gwendolyn is beaming at her, and God, she’s so gorgeous. She’s put on a fair amount of weight while they’ve been in Mexico, her figure back to the way she’d been when Mildred first saw her. Her hair practically glows when it’s backlit like this; it’s long enough to bounce halfway down her neck. Her eyes shine when she sees Mildred. It makes Mildred’s stomach tingle in an entirely too pleasant way. 

“Did you eat?” Gwendolyn asks.

Mildred pushes herself off of the door. “I did, thank you, those little tarts were very good.” She reaches for Gwen, and the older woman scoops her close, sliding her arms around Mildred’s waist and up to her shoulder blades. Mildred wraps her arms around Gwen’s waist, tucking her head under Gwen’s. “How was the appointment?”

Gwen seems to not hear her for a moment. She sways gently, resting her cheek against the top of Mildred’s head, shifting from heel to heel. Mildred remembers she’s barefoot and delights in the momentary height difference. She closes her eyes and listens to Gwen’s breathing, then tries to focus on her heartbeat. She’s not at all in the right place to hear it, but if she presses herself close enough, maybe she can feel it. She’s not successful, but she attributes that to the fact that Gwen has started to hum. It’s not a specific tune, just a collection of loose notes. 

She’s not a wonderful singer, but Mildred loves Gwendolyn’s crackly, rough-around-the-edges voice. 

“Oh,” Gwendolyn starts. “You asked me something. I’m glad you liked the tarts.” Mildred can feel her stifling a chuckle at herself and half-heartedly pinches at her. “What? I lost focus when you started snuggling up to me.”

Mildred leans back, sliding her hands down to Gwendolyn’s waist. “I asked how your appointment went,” she says, dramatically rolling her eyes. 

“Mmmm,” Gwen hums, and Mildred almost feels like she’s not listening again. She’s just staring, eyes flicking over Mildred’s face. Her eyes are warm, and Mildred can’t resist reaching up to trace the lines next to her eyes. Gwen’s eyes flit closed and she leans into the touch. “I have something to show you.”

“Oh?”

Gwendolyn hugs her close for a moment, then presses a quick kiss to her temple before letting go. Mildred lets her hands drag along Gwen until the contact is gone. She watches Gwen root in a billfold and pull out a folder. “Here,” she says brightly, squeezes Mildred’s hip and pats her aside so she can sit on the bed. 

She starts to undo her shoes as Mildred stares at the folder. “What’s this?” 

“Results of my newest x-ray,” Gwendolyn says. Her voice is very even, and for a moment Mildred is very, very afraid. 

“The doctor said you’d been doing well,” she breathes, eyes fixed down on the folder, hands starting to shake. 

“She did,” Gwendolyn affirms. She’s managed to get one shoe off already, and is starting on the second. “Go on.” 

Mildred glances up, hoping Gwen doesn’t misinterpret the fear in her eyes. She just doesn’t want to lose her, not when they’re happy and safe and she’s been doing well. 

But she opens the folder anyways, because she needs to know. She can come up with another plan. 

“Gwendolyn,” she breathes. “Where’s… where’s the tumor?” 

She can hear Gwen giggle slightly. “ _Gwen._ ” 

Mildred looks up and Gwen is scooting her shoes to the side with her toe. “It’s still there, you can see it just above the middle of the left lung, but it’s very small, isn’t it?” She glances up, a shy smile on her face, that hopeful twinkle in her eyes. 

Mildred looks back to the x-ray. She can see it now, but it’s very small. She wouldn’t know it was there if she wasn’t looking for it. “Gwendolyn…” 

Gwendolyn has started to look back down, playing with her hands, so Mildred knows she’s moving a little fast. But she can’t stop herself.

She throws the x-ray to the side, not particularly caring where it goes. She knows Gwendolyn will hear it hit the floor, but by the time she looks up, Mildred is already on top of her, having launched herself through the air at her love. 

Gwendolyn lets out a small grunt of surprise as she’s bowled over by a flying Mildred. But her arms wrap around the younger woman quickly, one hand tangling in her hair as she bounces against the mattress. “Mildred!” she giggles, squirming under her, trying to come up for air as Mildred peppers kisses over her face. “Darling, mm— you have to let m— Mildred, please!” 

But she’s laughing, and Mildred can’t help it, can’t stop, she’s so relieved and grateful and _happy_ — 

Gwendolyn has flipped them, and now Mildred is pinned down, back against the bed, but she doesn’t care; Gwendolyn is kissing her and she’s soft and warm and tender and she’s smiling and she’s _alive._ Alive! 

Gwendolyn pulls up and away and Mildred chases after her lips for a moment, before Gwendolyn’s hand lands on her chest and pushes her down gently. “Let me breathe, my love.” Mildred settles for draping her arms around Gwendolyn’s neck, smiling up at her. Her face feels like it’s splitting open and she thinks she might be crying just a little. 

“It’s not gone,” Gwendolyn reminds her, bracing herself on her right arm and using her left hand so brush errant tears from Mildred’s cheeks. “But it’s so much smaller. It could go away.” She nuzzles in to the hand that Mildred brings around to cup her cheek. “I’m not out of the woods yet, but she was very pleased with my progress.”

“Gwendolyn,” Mildred breathes, and her voice catches in her throat, “Gwendolyn, we’re going to cure you.” She knows she’s crying now, and it’s a pure release of relief and gratitude. Gwendolyn leans down, bearing more bodyweight on Mildred, who lets her knees fall open to cradle Gwen. The older woman presses a kiss to the corner of each eye. “Happy tears, I promise,” she murmurs, chasing after the kisses with her lips. 

She manages to catch her, finally, and wraps her arms around Gwendolyn’s shoulders again. The fingers of one hand splay out to tangle in the new curls, and she can’t help grinning into the kiss. “I love you,” she breathes against Gwendolyn, who hums in response. “I love you, do you hear me? I love you.” 

Gwendolyn sighs, and it’s a good sound, a happy sound. “I love you, Mildred. I love you.” 

And Mildred giggles, and Gwendolyn chuckles, and it’s a good sound, a happy sound.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Leave a comment if you'd like, I thrive off feedback :)


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